Book 2: Chapter Eighty-Six - The Condition Of His Shop

Book 2: Chapter Eighty-Six - The Condition Of His Shop
The customer care representative showed him the figures in their database. Matteo realized the money was withdrawn from the Brooklyn, New York, branch of the bank. It was too hefty a sum to withdraw from an ATM. What was going on? He had given Mr. Berkeley the sole authority to handle his account. It was alright that he shared it with his wife, but why did he confiscate so much money for himself?

“Thank you for your cooperation. I’m not carrying money right now. I’ll deposit it later on.” They left the bank in a state of shock. 

“We have to go to New York right away, Emilia. I don’t know what’s going on. Apart from you, only one person had access to my account. That was Mr. Berkeley. How could he confiscate my hard-earned money?” Amelia looked at him with concern, wondering if he believed her. 

“You know, I withdrew very little, Matteo. I can show you all the ATM slips.” 

“I wouldn’t have minded if you used the money in my absence for your and Mariella’s needs. But it was a hefty sum and I can’t understand Mr. Berkeley’s motive.”

They walked down slowly to the hotel, but Amelia was worried about seeing the devastated look on his face. She knew he received an enormous shock, and she was worried about his health. They reached the dorm room, and he slumped in a chair, with his head in his hands. 

“What happened to you, Matteo?” asked his Mama, eyeing her for an explanation. 

“We went to the bank and found all his money missing, Mama. I didn’t withdraw so much money ever,” she said with tears in her eyes. The future looked bleak and they couldn’t figure out a way to tide over this mess. 

“Hush, dear. I know you haven’t. Who else had access to your bank account, Matteo?” 

“Mr. Berkeley, my lawyer, Mama.” 

“Let’s not jump to conclusions. I think you should go to New York and find out.” 

“Yes, Mama. Can you all manage on your own? I’ll book our tickets to New York immediately,” said Matteo, pulling out his phone from his pocket. 

“Of course, we can, son. This is urgent. Book the first flight available.” Matteo booked a flight that would leave in four hours. 

Marco and Marcello dropped them off at the airport. “Keep us updated, bro. Tell me if you need money,” offered Marco. 

“Yes, I will. Take care of yourselves and Mama.”

They boarded the flight but couldn’t share Mariella’s excitement this time. Amelia tried to keep her busy with coloring books and toys throughout the time. Matteo looked so stressed that she was worried about his health with every passing minute. 

“I have the money from Synergist Trading, Matteo. It will be enough to tide us over these difficult times. I’m sure you can pull up the shop until then.” 

“If the shop isn’t confiscated as well!” he said, making her eyes go wider. She hadn’t considered that angle at all. 

After thirteen long hours, they reached Brooklyn. Amelia looked around at the familiar neighborhood that held so many memories for her. This was the place where she had met Matteo for the first time. This was her home. It felt so good to be back home if only the circumstances were different. 

“Nothing has changed here except the security guards,” she said, looking around.

Matteo unlocked the door, and they went in.

“Is this our home, Papà?” asked Mariella with wide eyes. “It’s so big. I love it.” 

“I’m glad you do, Marie. I’ll get you some ice cream on my way back from work.” 

“Yay! I love you Papà!” she hugged Matteo and then rushed to choose her bedroom. 

“Can you manage on your own, Emilia? I’m going to the shop first.” 

“Sure. Go ahead. I’ll order some groceries online.” Matteo nodded and picked up his car keys and left. He had to figure this out soon. 

Walking down the familiar street to his shop, he felt a strange fear clutching at his heart. What would he do if the shop wasn’t there anymore? It was his dream! However, as he walked on, he saw his shop, but frowned at the condition it was in. A portion of the body shop was badly charred, with soot all around the place. Did it catch a fire lately? 

He stood at the closed gates and looked around. There wasn’t a soul around the place. He walked around to the back door hoping to see Freddie’s smiling face. Where was everyone? Had they abandoned the place? 

He pushed open the door and peered inside, straining his ears. He could hear someone working on metal inside. Relief flooded his mind and soul. They hadn’t closed it down! He took baby steps toward the sound. He could hear a barely audible murmur of voices, too. 

At last, he saw them working on a Ford pickup truck. Was it Freddie? Maybe they heard his footsteps and stretched to peer at him. 

“Matteo?” cried Freddie, standing up and rushing over to him. There was Bruce too with him and he too followed his friend. 

“Matteo, we waited for you for so long! Where were you?” said Bruce, breaking down like a baby. 

“We tried, but we couldn’t pull it any longer, Matteo. I’m sorry,” said Freddie, slumping to the ground and sobbing brokenly. Matteo felt a sense of dread clutch at his heart. He had never seen Freddie so broken in his years of association with him. He had always been a bundle of positive energy, giving him his unconditional support throughout the years. What happened now? 

He sat down on the ground with both of them. “What happened? Why is the shop charred? Has the business closed down? What’s going on, Freddie?” 

Freddie calmed himself and sipped water while Bruce took a deep breath in. 

“Ever since Amelia left New York, Di Salvo, and his men started bothering us. They had hoped to extort a good amount of money from Amelia, but she went into police protection. The only target left was us. He threatened to kill you if we didn’t pay up. We didn’t believe him and Dan offered to file an FIR. Do you remember Dan? He used to work as my assistant here,” said Bruce.

“Yes, I remember him. Then what happened? Did you pay up?” 

“He never reached the police station. Di Salvo’s men killed him and chopped his body into pieces and send them to us as a warning. The cops arrived, and the investigation started, but the lack of evidence made them close the case. The extortion calls continued, and when we didn’t pay up, they torched the shop. We would have died that night if Seth hadn’t saved us. All the workers left us out of fear. Word got around and we stopped getting good business. To save your dream shop, we had to pay Di Salvo one million US dollars every year. He left us alone after getting his pay!”

Matteo sighed, since now he realized where all his money went. It wasn’t their fault at all. It was just his bad luck! 

“Mr. Berkeley suffered a heart attack and couldn’t help us much. Yet we didn’t give up hope, Matteo. Bruce, Seth, and I kept on. We took up whatever work we got to help pay the bills,” said Freddie.

“We couldn’t afford to repair the damage to the shop,” said Bruce. 

“I’m so sorry you had to go through so much. Now, both Luigi and Di Salvo are dead and their gangs arrested. I’m back for good,” said Matteo, smiling to see the happiness on their faces. 

“Really? Thank God it’s all over. Seth will be so happy to hear about it. He should come back any minute. He has gone to fix a client’s car in Manhattan.”

“I’m really proud of you guys. I was fearing the shop had closed down since I noticed a meager balance in my account.” 

“Oh! Then how will we pull through?” asked Bruce, placing his hands over his head in despair. 

“Now that I’m back, I’m sure we’ll find a way.” They sprang up with newfound hope and got down to work. The truck was ready in minutes when Seth returned. He hugged Matteo with tears in his eyes. 

“I’m so relieved to see you, Matteo. I prayed for your return every single day.” 

“Your prayers are heard, Seth.” 

“Yes, it seems that way. I earned a hefty sum from the customer today. His Lamborghini was giving him problems, and he was happy with my work. He has given us his card, Matteo. He wants to talk to you soon.” Seth handed the card to Matteo, and he frowned at seeing the name. 

Lucas Donnelly

Founder, CEO.

Donnelly Technology Corp

His eyes widened as realization dawned on him. Who didn’t know the celebrity billionaire entrepreneur who ruled the world of technology? His products were household names in the country.

“Did you fix Lucas Donnelly's car?” he asked Seth with disbelief. 

“Yes. Now he wants us to build him a custom-made limousine.” Matteo smiled and thanked God for helping him out again!